Download THE TOP FIVE WAYS TO DEVELOP AN OBJECTIVE

The top five ways to develop
an objective, informative white paper
th e to p f i ve w ay s to d evel o p a n
o b jec t ive, inf o rm a tive whi te p ap er
Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc.
White papers
too often fall
short of their
fundamental
purpose of
informing their
audience with
useful, in-depth
information.
Traditionally, the goal of a white paper has been to educate readers about
a complex business issue, product, service, or technology. In the broadest
sense, a white paper is an authoritative report aimed at a specific
audience. Yet white papers too often fall short of their fundamental
purpose of informing their audience with useful, in-depth information,
and instead simply promote a company’s offerings and tout the
solution’s benefits.
White papers are most useful in the early or intermediate stages of
a sales cycle, when prospects are considering their options and evaluating
potential solutions to their business challenges. In this portion of
the sales cycle, the reader is unlikely to be attracted to a sales pitch.
Rather, prospects are seeking to gain a comprehensive understanding
of potential options, technologies, applications, and strategies, and need
to be educated with unbiased information. The more educated they are,
the better they can make informed choices.
According to a 2005 survey conducted by KnowledgeStorm, Inc.
exploring online technology content usage and its influence on IT
buying, vendor white papers were the most popular type of technology
content downloaded, read, and shared with peers. Additionally,
the top technology content complaint among its 1,400 participants
was “marketing hype” in technology materials including white papers
and product brochures.1
Postured carefully, white papers can be a powerful marketing and sales
tool. They can impact the reader’s decision making through the useful
information provided. This article addresses how to reach prospects by
presenting objective, informative information, and focuses on the “top
five ways” to accomplish this in a white paper.
The First Way to Develop an Objective, Informative White Paper:
Establish Credibility with the Reader
A common mistake in white papers is focusing on products or solutions.
A discriminating audience, potential customers can be viewed as
THE TOP FIVE WAYS TO DEVELOP AN OBJECTIVE, INFORMATIVE WHITE PAPER © 2006 Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc.
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The best way
to hold the
audience’s
attention is to
clearly define
the target
audience before
ever starting the
white paper.
prospective investors. Their attention and trust can be difficult to grasp
and maintain throughout a white paper. The best way to hold the
audience’s attention is to clearly define the target audience, and to
understand their needs and motivations before ever starting the white
paper. Then make sure the white paper focuses on them, and provides
the particular information they seek. The sales force can be a helpful
resource here, in developing an audience analysis.
So that the reader is open to the information presented, credibility
should be established with the audience early in the paper by discussing
the pain points, complexities, and challenges the reader and company
face as they relate to the paper’s topic. Conducting even a brief audience
analysis can make this possible.
A white paper is informative only if the reader actually receives and
accepts the information provided. Therefore, the white paper must
engage the reader. If the reader feels that their goals and business issues
are understood, credibility is established. Then throughout the paper,
make sure that the goals of the white paper remain in alignment with
the needs and values of the audience.
THE TOP FIVE WAYS TO DEVELOP AN OBJECTIVE, INFORMATIVE WHITE PAPER © 2006 Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc.
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The Second Way to Develop an Objective, Informative White Paper:
Adopt the Appropriate Tone and Style
Sales and marketing materials are developed in a broad variety of forms
and flavors, including:
•
Brochures
•
Direct-mail pieces
and tone
•
Data sheets
adopted in
•
Technology backgrounders
writing different
•
White papers
marketing
While prospects are the primary audience for these materials, they
sometimes target secondary audiences, including:
materials can—
•
Customers
and should—
•
Employees
•
Original equipment manufacturers
•
Alliance partners
•
Journalists
•
Analysts
•
Investors
The style
vary.
Additionally, the reasons a company elects to develop a particular
marketing or sales piece are varied, and may include the following:
•
Selling a product or service
•
Establishing a reputation for expertise or thought leadership
in a particular area
•
Explaining a particularly complex or new technology
•
Promoting a technology-based solution
Given the different types of sales and marketing materials a company
produces, the various audiences targeted, and the goals underlying
their development, the style and tone adopted in writing these materials
can—and should—vary. When writing objective, informative white
papers, however, specific rules apply across the board, including
the following:
THE TOP FIVE WAYS TO DEVELOP AN OBJECTIVE, INFORMATIVE WHITE PAPER © 2006 Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc.
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•
Avoid marketing language and buzzwords
•
Avoid the urge to deliver a sales pitch or use a promotional tone,
which can damage credibility
•
Write in the third person to help establish an objective,
professional tone
•
Provide information rather than telling the reader what they
should do
•
Address the reader who knows the least about the subject area,
without insulting the intelligence of the reader who knows the most
case for
•
Write clearly and concisely, and clarify complex technology
the reader.
•
Avoid trying to motivate the reader via fear, uncertainty, and doubt;
instead, motivate by informing, educating, and presenting options
A white paper
should provide
a compelling
With the appropriate tone and style incorporated, a reader can be
quickly drawn into the paper, enticed to read the white paper from
beginning to end, and provided new understanding of the information
presented—and the company’s products and services.
The Third Way to Develop an Objective, Informative White Paper:
Substantiate Claims
While white papers vary in format, a typical white paper adopts the
following approach to discussing a product, service, or technology,
when the goal is to influence the reader to more seriously consider
a company’s technology offerings:
•
Present a business problem or challenge
•
Offer potential solutions to the challenge
•
Discuss how the company’s offerings can address the challenge
in a factual, objective fashion
Although informative white papers can be full of information that serves
to address the above three areas, unsubstantiated claims can create
skepticism. The paper should provide a compelling case for the reader,
so that they believe in the value of the company’s products or services.
For the reader to believe in the information being provided, they need
solid evidence.
THE TOP FIVE WAYS TO DEVELOP AN OBJECTIVE, INFORMATIVE WHITE PAPER © 2006 Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc.
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Consider the relative effectiveness of the following two statements:
“White papers can be a highly effective marketing and sales
tool for companies.”
versus…
“According to a survey of 1,000 IT professionals conducted
by Bitpipe:
A writer should
back up all
assertions
made with
solid foolproof
explanations.
•
86% said that high-quality white papers positively influence
a company’s image.
•
89% of those surveyed use white papers to learn more about
a company’s technology or products.
•
86% considered white papers to be helpful to their product
buying process.”2
Various methods can be utilized to validate claims made in white papers.
The following are a few methods that can be effective:
•
Quote analysts and other third-party sources of
information—embed them in the text, include as a separate
section, or highlight using pull-quotes—and be sure to reference
these sources.
•
Demonstrate business value by quantifying benefits with data, such
as the amount of costs reduced, percent return on investment, and
documented time frames for deploying a solution.
•
Include brief case studies, and even customer quotes, to present a
detailed benefits analysis, and include any pertinent graphics such
as application screens or Web pages.
These approaches can effectively educate the audience about a
technology or product, because they are based on research into
the subject matter, and not just product or service information.
With this research, the writer can back up all assertions made with
solid foolproof explanations.
THE TOP FIVE WAYS TO DEVELOP AN OBJECTIVE, INFORMATIVE WHITE PAPER © 2006 Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc.
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The Fourth Way to Develop an Objective, Informative White Paper:
Consider Presenting Solutions Unrelated to the Company’s
Product/Service
A prospective
buyer will be
more open to
a white paper
that provides them
with options,
and helps
them weigh
those options.
Hopefully, after the prospect reads the white paper, they will
feel better equipped to make their important business decision.
The white paper equips them mainly by presenting solutions to
their business or technology challenge. This section of the white
paper constitutes a significant portion of the paper, because a strong
business case is imperative. Also, this section provides a springboard
for delving into how the company’s product or service addresses
the challenges presented.
As previously discussed, building and maintaining credibility remains
critical throughout the paper, so the content must remain objective.
Yet presenting only one solution, the company’s solution, to the business
challenge does not exactly fall within the boundaries of objectivity.
To strengthen credibility when discussing potential solutions to the
problems and challenges presented, consider including solutions
unrelated to the company’s product or service. Additionally, whenever
possible, present the pros and cons of the various options for solving
the problem.
A prospective buyer would be more open to a white paper that provides
them with options, and helps them weigh those options, than a paper
that never veers from a direct line to their product or solution.
The Fifth Way to Develop an Objective, Informative White Paper:
Limit the Discussion of the Company’s Offerings
When including information about how the company’s product or
technology addresses the problems presented in the paper, do so
briefly and informatively. Too much information about the company’s
offerings can quickly transform an otherwise interesting, compelling
white paper into marketing hype. The following guidelines can help
in presenting the details about a company’s product or service:
•
Devote only a small portion of the paper to this content, toward
the end of the paper (the exception would be a sentence or two
at the end of the executive summary).
THE TOP FIVE WAYS TO DEVELOP AN OBJECTIVE, INFORMATIVE WHITE PAPER © 2006 Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc.
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Written well,
white papers
•
Make sure the information is factual, defendable, and objective,
rather than subjective.
•
Be especially careful here to use an informative tone, rather than
delivering a sales pitch.
•
To make the most out of the brief discussion, present the benefits
that distinguish the product or service from the competition, and
again, back up the claims.
can influence
readers,
and serve as
a compelling,
authoritative sales
tool.
Conclusions
White papers should effectively present an argument for a product,
service, or technology and educate the reader as to why the argument
is valid. Developing an objective, informative white paper is key to the
paper’s validity, and whether the reader will read, and especially believe
what is presented. Written well, white papers can indeed influence
readers, as key industry research confirms, and serve as a compelling,
authoritative sales tool that advances prospects in the sales cycle.
THE TOP FIVE WAYS TO DEVELOP AN OBJECTIVE, INFORMATIVE WHITE PAPER © 2006 Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc.
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References
1. “Define What’s Valued Online—Survey Report,”
KnowledgeStorm, Inc., September 2005.
2. "Readership and Usage of White Papers in the IT Buying Process,"
Bitpipe, Inc., February 2004.
Since 1985, Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc. has developed
persuasive marketing collateral for more than 100 clients, including
Symantec, SAP, HP, Adobe, and Sprint.
322 Digital Drive
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
P: 408-778-5664 f: 408-778-5663
[email protected]
www.hoffmanmarcom.com
THE TOP FIVE WAYS TO DEVELOP AN OBJECTIVE, INFORMATIVE WHITE PAPER © 2006 Hoffman Marketing Communications, Inc.
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